charlie johnson

According to Vikings.com, the Minnesota Vikings have released Charlie Johnson. Signed in August of 2011, Johnson spent four years on the Vikings offensive line. Resigned in early 2014 to a two-year deal, the veteran guard never quite lived up to expectations and his release comes at no surprise. Pro Football Focus ranked Charlie Johnson 56 of 78 at his position in the 2014 Seaosn.

Charlie Johnson was due 2.5 million in 2015 with no guarantees. The Vikings will incur no “dead money” and add that amount to their available salary cap.

Currently, sophomore guard David Yankey is next in line on the depth chart though, the Vikings will likely address the vacancy left by Johnson’s departure in either free agency or the draft. Brandon Scherff, Iowa offensive lineman, has been mocked to the Vikings frequently and is a possible selection by the Vikings in the 2015 NFL Draft.

Well, we haven’t seen all 16 games of the 2014 regular season and the Vikings still have 120 minutes of football to play, but I think we have seen enough to start up the old Irresponsible Speculation Machine (I.S.M – trademarked!) and look towards the 2015 offseason and what we might expect.

I’ve already compiled an early list of the Vikings free agents potentially headed for the open market, while Arif attempted to project Minnesota’s cap situation, so now we get down to the task of identifying the top needs across the roster moving forward. Obviously a team that has only won six of their first 14 games, none of which have come against teams with winning records, has plenty of room for improvement across the board.

Still, I’m going to attempt the dangerous task of narrowing it down to five, and in my most daring and harrowing feat to-date I will put them in order. See you in the comments section, Vikings junkies!

Every now and then we get someone that wants to give this ol’ blogging thing a try. Of course, we are happy for the added content and often hope the author succeeds as a Vikings writer, either here or elsewhere. This is another post, of which I am particularly impressed with, so I hope you will all give Seth Forst’s first article here at VT and give him some supportive comments.

THEODORE EDMUND BRIDGEWATER II: By The Numbers

Author: Seth Forst

One year ago, at this time, Teddy Bridgewater had just turned 21 years old. He was enrolled for his junior year at the University of Louisville, beginning preparation to play the University of Miami in the Russell Athletic Bowl. Between then and now, Teddy has been up, down, and in-between.

From fans calling for their team to “Tank for Teddy” to the debacle that was his Louisville Pro Day, his perceived draft stock fluctuated in a volatile way. Fast forward to the afternoon of September 28th – Viking fans at TCF Bank Stadium loudly expressed their satisfaction with the play of Bridgewater (TEDDDDY, TEDDDDY, TEDDDDY), as he led the Vikings to a victory over the Atlanta Falcons.

Then came the inevitable rookie struggles perhaps summed up by his performance in Chicago on November 16th, when Bridgewater finished the game 18/28 for 158 yards (5.6 YPA), 1 TD, and 1 INT. That’s a passer rating of 76.2 and a QBR of 21.3, for those keeping track at home.

Since the Bears game, however, the general consensus has been that Bridgewater is improving, and things are once again looking up (TEDDDDY, TEDDDDY, TEDDDDY).

Is perception reality? Let’s take a look at the passing numbers, and see what they tell us. I included his total ‘yards in air’, passing yards before any yards after catch, as a reference to how much he’s pushing the ball down the field. This can also shed light on completion percentage, given shorter passes are more likely to be completed than deep throws.

Sorry for the delay on getting this out. My Adrian Peterson hangover combined with my Thursday Night Football hangover has suddenly made other things feel like a higher priority… like raking leaves, taking naps, and finally watching Draft Day (dreadful). My excuses have run out, however, so here we are.

After plenty of time to digest the debacle against the Packers I have determined that the Vikings looked exactly like something that has been fully digested. It is a struggle to point to any individual performances from that game that are “Player of the Game” worthy. Even in bad losses that is an unusual occurrence, but this game was an extra special flavor of bad. That is why “none” is actually a legitimate option in this week’s poll.

Fresno State’s QB Derek Carr takes on USC in the Las Vegas Bowl. USC has a solid defensive front, so it will be interesting to see if Derek can rise to the occasion and prove he is worthy of a top 10 pick in the 2014 NFL Draft. Nothing wrong with his arm strength or production, but I will be watching to see if he’s a big game performer in the clutch. His 4,866 yards passing this season with 48 touchdowns and 7 interceptions has me hoping the Vikings are in position to draft him.

Ranked just outside the top 50 on some draft boards is Washington State’s hard hitting SS Deone Bucannon. Spielman likes his defensive backs big, and Bucannon fits the mold at 6-1 215 lbs. Not only is he big enough to rattle some bones, but he is also a turnover machine with 5 interceptions on the year and 14 for his career. Bucannon is also the leading tackler for Washington State with 74 solo stops. With a solid bowl and combine performance, Bucannon could see his stock rise.

Washington State takes on Colorado State in the New Mexico Bowl in the early Satuday game. The Rams have the 2nd ranked center in the country in Weston Richburg. With Charlie Johnson and Joe Burger set to be free agents, the Vikings are sure to take a look at this talented center from Colorado State. Weston has good NFL size at 6-4 300 lbs and has started 49 consecutive games. Weston blocks for the nation’s eight-leading rusher Kapri Bibbs who gained 1,572 yards this year. If Weston can prove he is versatile enough to also play guard, he just might be a guy Spielman will be tempted to target between rounds 2 and 4.